Hello,
We will now be closed until the new year, so I wanted to wish you all a very merry Christmas from all of us here at MS-UK.
In 2017 your support has been fantastic, so thank you!
I am looking forward to a bright 2018 as we celebrate our 25th anniversary of supporting people affected by multiple sclerosis.
We will be re-open at 9am on Tuesday 02 January 2018, so until then, Merry Christmas!
Amy Woolf
CEO
Sarah is running the Virgin Money London Marathon for MS-UK. Here she tells of how she raised funds for her marathon fundraising by holding a mince pie and mulled wine afternoon...
I am so happy to be running the London Marathon for MS-UK. The reason that I am running for MS-UK is because my sister has multiple sclerosis. She was diagnosed over 10 years ago and she never seems to let it rule her even though I know some days she really does struggle but she won’t let it beat her. She truly does inspire me and when things are tough in my training I will think of her and it will really help keep me going. So, to get my fundraising started, I hosted a mulled wine and mince pie party at my home for my friends and family. The idea was that they would donate some money for the privilege. I thought it would be a great idea as Christmas is coming and what a fab reason to get together and raise some money whilst doing so.
I also have a teddy which needs a name and a home for £1 entry. Everyone loved him/her and most definitely wanted to take it home. The draw will take place next week but has so far raised £26. I had also made a few bits of jewellery to sell which I made about £5. I also used the opportunity to sell some of my old Christmas decorations. These included Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and Piglet. These were in great condition but my children had out grown them, I got £7. It really was a really great afternoon and in total I raised £112.50.
Sarah
Visit Sarah's fundraising page on JustGiving
We would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas on behalf of the whole MS-UK team!
Over Christmas the MS-UK Helpline service will be closing from 1pm on Friday 22 December. This service will be up and running again at 9am on Tuesday 02 January.
Our local wellness centre for anyone affected by multiple sclerosis, Josephs Court will be open for some of the Christmas period. Our opening hours over Christmas are as follows:
Saturday 23 December, 10am – 4pm
Monday 25 – Tuesday 26 December closed
Wednesday 27 December, 10am – 2pm
Thursday 28 December closed
Friday 29 December, 10am – 2pm
Saturday 30 December, 10am – 4pm
Monday 01 January closed
Tuesday 02 January 9am – 5pm
We hope you have a lovely Christmas!
In her latest guest blog Joanne writes about Christmas and multiple sclerosis (MS)...
Sorry it’s taken me so long to write. I’ve been battling bugs and the MonSter has come out with vengeance.
With Christmas only around the corner, I put my best foot forward (left if you’re asking!), grab my stick (I’ve realised it doesn’t work well in winter) put some lippy on and carry on Christmas starts in full swing. I may look like I’m in the Christmas spirit, but on the inside, my MS is bubbling away.
I’m secretly wanting peace and quiet.
I probably sound all bah hum bug as on the one hand, it is the most wonderful time of the year but it also feels like an assault course. Twinkly lights, the smell of evergreen, secret eating of cheap chocolate coins, knowing the big FC is coming soon and everyone running around like headless chickens.
Little man is still too young to fully understand but he does love Christmas like his mummy.
Christmas and MS don’t mix. MS is holding me back. I’ve had to scale back. What am I doing to make Christmas run as smoothly as possible:
Keep calm and carry on
Don’t stress out. With pressure to have this perfect Christmas, whatever perfect is, I try to ease the pressure by focusing on what’s important and remembering I live with MS, that’s pressure enough. Remember it’s only one day. Don’t over commit yourself. Do what’s right for you.
Rest
Tiring for all, but exhausting for you. There’s more travelling whether it’s seeing folks or going out and about. Food and drink topped with long days have their toll. Don’t ignore any vegging opportunities but plan rest. Like Christmas presents, MSers need our batteries charged too!
Cold
Blooming heck it is cold! It’s snowed recently, dark days and the heating is on full whack, so I’m feeling more tired, the cold is making my MS worse, getting out of a warm shower is my cryptonite and if someone sneezes, I’ll probably get the germs. Many things to contend with, so the girl guide in me is being even more prepared. I’ve bought supplements, wear lots of layers and my wheat toy monkey is on standby for placing on my MS mad hands or warming me up. Plus little man thinks it’s funny seeing him spin round in the microwave.
Focus
I can’t write, so no card writing. Annoying but probably a blessing. I try to focus on what’s important, rather than what I can’t do. Charities get my card money instead of the card manufacturers. I insist on hubby having time to help, whether it is present wrapping or shopping. Instead of list writing, I use the internet to save all my gift ideas and finally shop. It also helps with requests for buying for little man.
Magic
Christmas is about many things, for me, it’s also about random acts of kindness.
When little man saw the big man, the kind staff made it easier for me. Obviously you’d like it to be magical (and value for money) but I was also thinking about me. Not judging my mobility, was the cherry on the cake.
Recently I emailed ahead to get a table at a local bar. The bar reserved the table, so I could sit and enjoy drinks with ease. My friends have cooked meals and brought as a surprise. Many acts of random kindness. Before I wanted handbags or shoes, now I dream of kindness ( I still have the bag and shoes, although make them lovely flat ones!) So as the saying goes, I hope this isn’t just for Christmas.
So whatever your Christmas brings, let’s hope it’s happy, merry and kind. Remember kindness costs nothing (not like a drone at £500!)
Health and happiness to all.
Happy Christmas!
In this guest blog, we celebrate our Fundraisers of the Month for December. Martin, James and Stirling all took on the Santa Run on 03 December to raise vital funds for MS-UK, so we can continue our work supporting people affected by multiple sclerosis. Here is their Christmas tale of running...
First off my name is Martin Hughes.
I first decided to throw myself into fundraising for multiple sclerosis after my partner Dominique was diagnosed earlier on in the year after having our first baby. This is something that had been hanging over us for about three years but up until then she didn’t have enough symptoms to be diagnosed. Even so with us always knowing there would be a chance it was still a massive shock for all of us.
I didn’t know how to help her or how to get my head around it, so I decided to put my energy into helping other people with MS. This way I felt like I was making a difference. I hope to raise money to help the people already affected but I’d also like to raise money to help find a cure also. That would be my ultimate goal, to help find a cure for Dominique.
I first decided to do the Santa Run as a starting point for me to see how I got on with raising money and to see how well I would do. It also seemed fitting to have a bit of fun also, I think everyone needed that. Mine and Dominique’s friend James Paskins heard about my plans and jumped at the chance to join in and help with the fundraising and to also run with me. Following that our friend Stirling Woodside also wanted to help raise some money to do the Santa Run because of the ties he also has to MS. His girlfriend’s Mum also has the condition. So for our own personal reasons we put all of our efforts into doing the cause proud by fundraising and spreading awareness.
James and I decided to put on a family and friends fundraising event at Dominique’s parents’. This also being a starting point for more ideas in the future but it was a huge success and we were extremely chuffed.
We cooked big pots of stew, casserole and chilli the night before. Dominique and myself organised the pub quiz and a raffle, which went down so well. All we asked for was a donation of their choice to participate in the evening. It was good fun and everybody enjoyed themselves. We are still now being asked when the next one is going to be. Just in that one night alone we raised £385 with roughly 18 people.
We are hoping to do more of these with friends and family who couldn’t attend this one, and then to hopefully branch out with more public fundraisers.
On the build up to the Santa Run, I had good intentions of preparing for the run. I’m usually athletic in playing football every week but I had been injured so hadn’t played for a little while. I’d torn my hamstring, but this wasn’t going to stop me participating in what I’d planned to do for so long. So I got there on the day with no training and hardly any fitness behind me. It was hard, but not only did I do it but I finished it in under an hour and that was what I was always aiming for. Would I do it again? Yes! It was good fun and I’m hoping to get a few more people involved in doing it next year.
In total we have all raised just over £1,500 and we are still going. Never did we expect the support we’ve been given but we do appreciate it so much. If you would like to donate to MS-UK our links are underneath, it really is a great cause and helps the lives of so many that are affected by multiple sclerosis.
We thank everybody that has donated and that has helped us with the first of many fundraisers we hope to do in the future.
Martin, James and Stirling
In 2018, Sophie Bury is running the Virgin Money London Marathon. In this guest blog, Sophie tells us all about running a tuck shop at work as part of her fundraising!
To raise money for MS-UK is something that I am really proud to do as we lost a very close friend of my dad’s to multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2013.
On 17 November I ran my first fundraising event at work and I decided to run a tuck shop, reminiscent of the ones you used to get a school, because who doesn’t love sweeties on a Friday! I’d had a few ideas for my first event but I wanted to run something that was easy to organise, fun and would include everyone.
I enlisted the help of some very supportive colleagues and started selling at 11am, within 20 minutes the sweets had nearly sold out so we had to make a quick dash to Tesco to restock. It was really nice to see such a positive response so early on and I wanted to make a success of my first event. On our return with lots more sweets we carried on selling throughout the afternoon, with some really generous donations and comments about MS-UK. By 3pm it was a complete sell out, I was amazed at the response my tuck shop received and the kindness given from everyone in the office!
I decided to go for the old fashioned pick’n’mix type sweets and along with that I bought some pink pinstriped paper bags to sell them in. I spoke to our internal communication team about featuring my event in our weekly Huddle, made a poster to advertise the stand and got to work.
Running events can be daunting especially when it’s the first one and you’re doing it on your own. But the support received from my colleagues, friends and family has been so valuable and I’m really keen to make the tuck shop a regular event whilst I’m fundraising. My next event will be a Christmas themed bake sale on 15 December and I’m really excited to continue my fundraising for MS-UK.
Thank you,
Sophie
In her latest blog Jo explores the effect of the cold on multiple sclerosis (MS), a very topical subject with temperatures dropping and the 'threat' of a white Christmas...
Sometimes I feel a bit like Goldilocks when it comes to finding the right temperature. I easily get too hot and I easily get too cold, in fact it can be rather tricky getting it just right!
It is well documented that heat can make MS symptoms worse. Usually only temporarily, but worse all the same. In fact in times gone by, before MRI scans and the like, the test for MS was to put the patient in a hot bath and see if the symptoms got worse. If they did you had MS and if not you didn’t. A bit like how they ‘identified’ witches! Except without the risk of drowning as hopefully they pulled people out if it made their symptoms too bad!
But a lesser known fact is the effect of the cold on MS symptoms. For some MSers that can be a real problem too. As the autumn starts to change into full on winter this is becoming rather difficult. I live in fear of snow and ice. It’s hard enough to walk with MS and a stick on level, dry ground, but to negotiate icy pavements or walk in the snow is a whole new level of challenge! And just generally trying to keep warm in winter is tricky. It’s ok if I’m at home with access to jumpers, thick socks and the central heating thermostat, but dressing to keep warm outside…especially watching football (either my son’s team or the mighty York City) is something I haven’t quite mastered yet. I’ve experimented with different types of thermals, socks, layers, gloves and hats, but to no avail. I’m seriously contemplating some heated gloves and I’ve seen a fabulous jacket with a rechargeable battery pack that powers heat in different sections…it’s a bit pricey though!
When I get cold it’s not just the usual unpleasant feeling of being cold, it actually makes my symptoms worse. My legs stiffen up, the tremors start, the pain gets worse and the fatigue hits me and because my internal thermostat is faulty due to the MS it takes a long time to get warm again. I usually dive under the duvet, fully clothed with a hot water bottle and wait for the thaw to set in…
I have recently found some hand and feet warmers (called Hothands) that are activated by the air once opened and last up to 10 hours. I tried them last weekend at a very cold football match and they helped a lot. I’ve just found that M&S do two different thicknesses of thermals too so I’ve ordered a thicker top to try. I’ve also bought some new thermal socks that have a Tog rating! Like duvets! Now surely they will do the trick!
So, I will continue to hunt for things to keep me warm, pray for another mild winter and look forward to warmer, but not too warm, summer days.
Jo
Want to support MS-UK this Christmas? Grab a festive collection box today! Just email Jenny or call 01206 226500! Here are 5 festive fundraising ideas to help you fill it up...
To receive your own fundraising pack and collection box in time for the Christmas period email Jenny or call 01206 226500!
HR Specialist and MSer, Rebecca Armstrong offers her advice...
Rebecca Armstrong has a background in HR and Leadership Development at a Senior Level. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2013 and she now focuses on helping organisations embrace Equality and Diversity in their management practice. She established the Facebook group MS & Work in order to use her knowledge to support people with MS facing challenges in the workplace. Here are her top tips for those who are feeling discriminated against.
You can read more advice from Rebecca regarding disability and work in issue 106 of New Pathways magazine. Subscribe today and get your copy. Contact the MS-UK Helpline for further support or join Rebecca’s MS & Work Facebook group to continue the conversation.
We are delighted to announce that our new service, MS-UK Counselling, has now launched, and we wanted to share our short video with you…
Our telephone counselling service is focussed on helping you understand yourself in light of your MS and exploring its emotional impact on your life. It is available to anyone living with multiple sclerosis aged 18 and over, and is completely confidential.
Find out more about MS-UK Counselling on our website, call us on 01206 226500 or email us.